Golf ball cleaner



April 23, 1968 F. G. sTRoUT GOLF BALL CLEANER Filed Aug. l, 1966 lltllll llillllllll L.

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United States Patent O 3,378,873 GOLF BALL CLEANER Frank G. Strout, 2555 29th Ave. S., Apt. 34, Seattle, Wash. 98144 Filed Aug. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 569,501 7 Claims. (Cl. 15-244) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A golf ball cleaning device formed by two telescopically Complementary housings which can be rotated relative to one anothed. Sponges containing a cleaning medium are partially adhesively attached to the housings to that as one housing is inserted into the other with the ball placed between the Sponges and pressure is applied, the relative rotation of the housings and their Sponges rub along the surfaces of the ball to clean it. The Sponges are free to conform to the surfaces of the ball since the outer portions of the Sponges are not adhesively bonded to the housing.

This invention relates to an improved portable golf ball cleaner, and is herein illustratively described by reference to the presently preferred embodiment thereof. However it will be recognized that certain minor modifications and changes therein with regard to details may be made without departing from the essential features involved.

It is desirable to clean a golf ball from time to time of dirt, stains, etc., and most golf courses provide fixed cleansing devices at each tee. Some do not, however, and in any event there are usually no means provided along the fairways between tees for cleaning a ball. The present invention provides a portable golf ball cleaner such as may be attached to the golfers bag, or cart, and by means of which he can clean a ball easily and quickly at any time and at any point in his round of golf.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the general character indicated which shall be simple and compact, and relatively inexpensive, yet thoroughly efficient from the intended purpose.

-In particular, it is an object to provide such a golf ball cleaned which can be used without replenishment of cleansing substance such as detergent solution during a complete round or, in fact, during several succeeding rounds of golf.

With the above and other objects in mind as will appear more fully as this specification progresses, this invention comprises the novel golf ball cleaner featuring mutually telescoping and relatively rotatable cylindrical casing and cover cups, with a ball-conformable, preferably dished scrubbing pad of a soft spongy absorbent material retained in the base portion of each cup usually by adhesive bonding. By mutually advancing the casing and cover with a ball inserted, the pads are compressed endwise and the resultant pad deformation permitted by its elastic flow properties causes essentially all parts of the balls surface to be enveloped and contacted by the pads so as to permit scrubbing and cleansing the ball by manually rotating one cup, hence its pad, relative to the other. When not in use a suitable detent may be used to hold the cups together thereby forming -a closed container which prevents evaporation of moisture from the cleaner pads. The pads are peripherally free of (unbonded to) their surrounding cup walls near their ball contacting ends which thereby leaves the spongy material free to flow under elastic deformation so as to substantially fully occupy the region surrounding the ball; also this detachment of the outer cups spongy pad wall makes available a pheripheral slot or gap accommodating insertion of the inner cups skirt to achieve overlap of the cups. The novel ICC construction and arrangement of the parts thereof are as shown in a preferred form in the accompanying drawing, and are as will be more fully described and claimed hereinafter.

FIGURE l is an isometric View, with a quarter-section removed, of the novel golf ball cleaner, with the two principal parts or cups partly interengaged, but not including a golf ball.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal axial section through the golf ball cleaner, With a golf ball inserted therein in position for cleaning.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but omitting the golf ball and showing the two spongy pads more relaxed than they would be in FIGURE 2.

The casing cup 1 and the cover cup 2 may assume different shapes, but in any event, they incorporate a cylindrical skirt, or are themselves wholly cylindrical, so that they can slidably interengage telescopingly and rotate relatively. In the form shown, the casing l is outermost when the two are telescopingly interengaged, and the cover 2 is innermost. The inner cups inside diameter somewhat exceeds the diameter of a golf ball. Within the casing 1 is retained a rst spongy pad 3, and within the cover 2 is retained a second spongy pad 4. These spongy pads, preferably of cylindrical form fitted to the cup interiors may be, for instance, of sponge, sponge rubber or other spongy (liquid-absorbing, elastic) material. Cup length preferably exceeds the diameter of a golf ball B by some margin, such as by about twice ball diameter, while pad length in each cup prefarably exceeds half the cup length, and even if this results in some compression of the pads with cups overlapped to the maximum extent for compartness of the cleaner when not in use (FIGURE 3). This general proportioning is such that pad compression caused by pressing the cups together with a golf ball inserted (FIGURE 2) will create adequate stress in the spongy material to produce radially outward and endwise flow of the material around the golf ball, yet adequate cleaning pressure is exerted against all areas of the ball contacted.

In order to permit the skirts of cover 2 and casing 1 to overlap telescopingly to the fullest extent, agap is available between the side of pad 3 and the side wall or skirt of casing 1 for reception of the skirt of cover 2. By not bonding the pad to the wall over the desired portion of length of the pad from its ball-engaging face toward its base, cover 2 may be advanced fully into the gap to the desired depth and thereafter rotated relative to casing 1 so as to achieve the desired scrubbing action on the ball. Pad 3 is preferably bonded to casing 1 at the inner end of the pad, as indicated at 3a. Pad 4 is similarly bonded to the bottom of cover 2, `as is indicated at 4a. The pad areas bonded to the inside walls of cover and casings are sufficient for assuring proper retention of the pads but, as previously mentioned, do not interfere with free flow of the pad material around the ball when the pads are compressed.

As has been indicated above, the ball cleaner is prepared for use by applying a cleaning substance to the pads, usually a detergent solution which the spongy material will absorb and hold for prolonged periods. When it is desired to clean a ball, the casing and cover cups 1 and 2 are separated, the ball is inserted between them, and they are then pressed together endwise. This pressure causes the spongy masses to be deformed and to flow about and embrace the ball completely, with the ball generally centered within the container. Dishing of the ballcontacting faces of the pads aids in achieving uniform pressure of contact with most or all of the balls surface. Operating position of parts is shown in FIGURE 2. Now, with this pressure maintained and with the cover held 'by one hand and the casing by the other they are rotated relatively, respective pads 3 and 4 rotating with them. Being subjected to equal and opposite rotational torques the ball tends to remain fixed; consequently both pads move relative to the balls surface and exert a scrubbing action thereon.

Since only the end portion of cover 2 protrudes above casing 1 a knurled handle 5 is provided on the cover to facilitate grasping it for rotation.

When no golf ball is within the cleaner, it is desirable to hold the cover and casing closely interengaged for reasons of compactness, which incidentally compresses the pads and tends to keep the retained detergent solution more or less uniformly distributed throughout the spongy pads ready for use. For holding the cover and casing tgether an annular head 6 on the rim of the cover engages an anular resiliently deectable detent lip 7 around the base of the casing, as in FIGURE 3.

For convenience, a hook clip 8 may be provided on the casing 1 by means of which the cleaner may be supported from the `golfers bag, from his cart, or even from his person.

For reasons of low cost, durability and deformation resistance it is preferred to make the casing and cover of nylon, polyethylene or other suitable plastic material.

These and other aspects of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art having reference to the foregoing description applied to the presently preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf ball cleaner comprising: mutually telescoping relatively rotatable cylindrical cups, said cups being inverted with respect to each other -and each retaining a generally cylindrical cleaning pad of soft elastic material within the base thereof, said pads each having an outwardly presented ball-contacting face and generally cylindrical side wall adjacent to but unbounded to the surrounding cup wall over a portion of the pads length adjacent the ball-contacting face thereof, said pads being of such a size that pressing of the cups telescopically together compresses the pads causing flowing of the pad open at one end telescopingly interengageable with and rotatable with respect to the skirt of the other, one of said skirts having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the other skirt, an elongated mass of spongy absorbent material disposed within each of said skirts, the two masses being of sizes and relatively located to be contacted and compressed at their outer ends when the golf ball is interposed therebetween and the skirts are pressed together and so to center the golf ball and embrace it closely while the skirts are relatively rotated during such engagement.

4. A portable golf ball cleaner as in claim 3 wherein each mass is bonded in place at least in the vicinity of its end that is opposite from its ball-contacting end, at least that mass which is within the skirt that is outermost when the two skirts are telescoped being free of bonding adjacent its ball-contacting end for entry of the other skirt between it and said outermost skirt, and for free ow of the spongy material around the golf ball interposed between the masses.

5. A golf ball cleaner as in claim 4 wherein each mass is unsecured to its skirt adjacent the ball-contacting end of such mass.

6. A golf ball cleaner as in claim 3 wherein the ballcontacting end of at least one mass is cupped, when unstressed, to receive and center a golf ball along the axis of the skirts.

7. A golf ball cleaner as in claim 3 including a bead and a cooperating detent member of flexible material carried by the respective skirts for releasable interengagement when the skirts are overlapped to a predetermined degree.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,789,301 4/1957 Harvey. 3,006,009 10/ 1961 Hoffecker. 3,140,498 7/1964 Drescher et al. l5-97 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,260 3/1894 Great Britain. 7,804 4/1908 Great Britain. 213,428 4/ 1924 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

